History in the making. A transgender model wins Miss Netherlands contest
The Miss Netherlands pageant took place on Saturday 8 July. The contest was won by 22-year-old transgender model Rikkie Valerie Kollé.
The Miss Netherlands 2023 pageant will go down in history as a trans woman has won a beauty contest in the country for the first time ever.
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Rikkie Valerie Kollé, 22, is a transgender model who has been vocal about her life story from the very beginning of the beauty contest. The girl emphasised that she could fulfil her dreams thanks to her parents and their support.
Rikkie Valerie Kollé – a transgender Miss Netherlands
Rikkie decided to come out when she was just 11 years old. The model recounted that from the very beginning she felt that her parents loved her just the way she was. When she turned 16 she started taking hormones and underwent gender correction surgery in early 2023.
Rikkie stressed that she took part in the contest to "bring about change in society" and show support to trans people in the Netherlands. With her win at Miss Netherlands pageant, the model became the second ever transgender contestant to qualify for Miss Universe pageant as well. The first was Angela Ponce from Spain who competed for the crown in 2018.
